Oden by Jessica Frances Page A

survive this. There is no way that you can be… expected to take over if I were to also die. Oden would be in shambles, and no doubt, it would be… the most embarrassing chapter in our family’s history.”
    “Thanks for the confidence, brother.” I roll my eyes at him without really feeling the sting from his words.
    “Your actions have already proved me correct. If… this war was not happening right now, you would not be on Oden because you would have… already left with your human . That is a cowards action right there. You’re a disgrace.”
    “But we are at war, and I am here on Oden—next to you—and willing to fight. So lay off me,” I snap.
    “You’re here because Jeprow forced the issue. If… you had been given the option to flee and not come here, you would have chosen that.”
    “I would have chosen whatever was best for Mattie and my child. Furthermore, she would have chosen to come here because Logan and her sister are here. She wouldn’t have allowed them to be left behind.”
    “Then she has more character and loyalty for… her own family than you have for yours.”
    “You know, when I mentioned that our father might be dead, you didn’t even blink. You are the closest to him. Does it not concern you that he might be dead?”
    “I would like for him to be alive because he… still has much to teach me about becoming a leader.”
    “But he’s our Father. Shouldn’t his children care about whether he is alive or dead? Not because of a job, but because he’s our blood?”
    “We honour our father by remembering the work he has… done for Oden and the sacrifices he has made.”
    “Do you know this little guy,” I lift Logan up in my arms, his eyes still closed as he sleeps soundly in my arms, completely trusting me to keep him safe, “lost his father during the invasion. He had already lost his mother, and he is an only child. Mattie helped save his life, and we both took responsibility of protecting him. He depends on us like we’re his parents, and already, I love him. I would die for this boy. I would kill for him. I know that, if anything were to happen to him, I’d never fully recover. I also know that he would be devastated if anything happened to me or Mattie. He trusts me and loves me, and right now, I’m holding him in my arms, giving him support and comfort while he sleeps. That is how most humans view their parents at this age. They have freedom to be a kid. They have the unconditional love of their parents, and a trust that hasn’t been stolen or broken. Did you ever feel that way with our father? Did you even know the man when you were five-years-old?”
    “You say all of that as if it is a good thing.”
    “I’ve never felt so much before, Ival. I’ve gone through life like I’ve been asleep, just following orders and training. I didn’t know there was more to life, but then I saw Mattie. She woke me up inside. She made me feel things, and suddenly, everything was better.”
    “Better for whom? Not your family, not… your home, and definitely not for that human back there you claim to love. You have… put a target on her head for life. And if that child gets the… chance to be born, it will be forever an outcast, an abomination. If… you want to start feeling things, then start feeling the guilt and responsibility your actions have… brought upon you and us.”
    I shake my head at him, knowing I’m not ever going to get him to see things my way, knowing the longer I stay and try to get through to him, the more he will twist things around until I don’t know anything.
    “Hurry up!” Ival screams back at the girls, his voice loudly echoing off the walls, jolting Logan awake.
    He shakes when he sees Ival, therefore I quickly pull back, giving him some space from him. I think I could use the space, too.
     
    ***
     
    There is no way to tell time in these tunnels. I would estimate we have been walking for at least ten hours. I’m starving, I’m thirsty,